I IS FOR INUKSUK

Wallace once again pays tribute to the Inuit people and their Arctic home (The Inuksuk Book, 1999, etc.). Unlike similarly titled books, this is not an abecedary; each turn of this work’s pages reveals another letter in the work “Inuksuk,” making it an acrostic. An Inuksuk is a stacked-stone tower used by the Inuit as a communication device. Introducing each letter is a double-page spread illustrating a single word, only one of which—Nanuq—is likely to be familiar to the majority of readers. Following this is another spread of smaller pictures depicting additional information about the same topic or a related one. From Arctic wildlife to the accoutrements of Inuit life, much of what Wallace presents will be unlike readers’ previous experiences, and even the familiar is called by its Inuit name. Backmatter includes a guide to the meanings of the various Inuksuit seen in the text, as well as an invaluable pronunciation guide. Wallace’s illustrations are truly a celebration—hauntingly beautiful and evocative of bygone days. Her color palette is shades of blues, browns and whites, reflecting the Arctic landscape. A stimulating look at an oft-overlooked culture. (Picture book. 5-10)